No matter what your occupation, returning to work after getting a cochlear implant can bring a mix of feelings. It’s okay to take this transition at your own pace.
No matter what your occupation, returning to work after getting a cochlear implant can bring a mix of feelings. It’s okay to take this transition at your own pace.
For some people, it’s a smooth return to the workplace while others report feeling anxious or not knowing when or how to talk about their hearing loss or cochlear implant.
“Coming back to work was a little bit tough, coupled with the fact that I was hearing noises. And it just sounded really mechanical,” says cochlear implant recipient Tom about returning to work after activation. “I really didn’t want to talk to a whole lot of people because I was telling the world that I have an impairment.”
But Tom found communicating his needs was a positive experience. “Actually, my coworkers were awesome. They knew I had a hearing disability, but it was up to me to educate them.”
To help you prepare for this next step, others with cochlear implants have shared valuable advice around how to adjust to your workplace with your new hearing.
How to explain your hearing with colleagues
It’s up to you how much you share about your hearing loss and cochlear implant with your colleagues, though a simple explanation can pave the way for understanding and support. Start by telling them what a cochlear implant is and how it helps you hear.
Tom’s advice
Before his procedure, Tom told his colleagues during a regular meeting at his work that he was going to have cochlear implant surgery. “I told the group that I was going miss a little bit of work, and I was going have an implant, told them what I knew about it,” he explains. “I told them that there was going be some work afterwards, some speech therapy, some rehab—I tried to educate them.”
“You need to communicate. At work, the important thing is to normalize it. I’ve had to educate the dispatchers so that if I’m on call and the phone rings, they have to give me a minute to ‘get my ears on’. They need to give me time,” says Tom, who works in search and rescue.
Spell out your needs
Here are some practical strategies that other recipients shared with us:
- Move your desk to a quieter spot if it’s in a noisy area.
- Explain what situations are challenging for you, such as talking on the phone, or when colleagues talk simultaneously.
- Ask co-workers to make sure they’re looking at you during face-to-face conversations.
- Let people know if you prefer emails or texts instead of voicemail messages.
“People can be very accommodating, provided they are aware of your challenges,” says Greg, an electrical engineer who has a cochlear implant.
How technology can help you
Also knowing how to get the most out of your technology can help to support you at work and make a real difference. Here is some great advice that others with cochlear implants have shared with us.
Use your smartphone1 to stream calls directly to your sound processor
Working in search and rescue, Tom says communicating on the phone is a critical part of his job. “I’m on call 24-7. It could be a search and rescue; it could be a bad accident. Streaming calls right from my iPhone to my processors. I can hear the phone over the noise of the engine,” he explains.
Use video conferencing when working from home
There are three ways you can stream calls and conferencing:
- Stream directly with your compatible Apple®2
or Android™3 device to connect to Microsoft Teams®, Facetime® or other internet-enabled calling. - Use the Phone Clip to connect via Bluetooth®4
- Use the Mini Microphone 2+ to stream via the audio output jack of your laptop or tablet.
“Being able to stream and hear clearly is an absolute game-changer for me as much of my job is handling and dealing with people,” says Tom.
Switch on captions
Some conferencing and call platforms like Google Meet® and Microsoft Teams have caption functions that can be helpful during calls. Some platforms will also save the captions once the call has ended so you can review what has been discussed. Check the accessibility settings of the platform you use to find out more.
Ask for an agenda ahead of meetings
This can make all the difference to help you fully understand the context of a meeting, what to expect and topics to plan for. You’ll hopefully feel more confident when contributing to the conversation.
“While this is generally good business practice, it helps you to prepare background information on the topics to be discussed and provides some boundaries on what might be said during the meeting,” says Greg.
Think about where you sit in meetings
Your sound processor features technology, called ForwardFocus5, designed to help you hear conversations more clearly by reducing the noise coming from behind you.
“Choose a place to sit where you have a clear view of the people you’ll talk with the most. If it’s not already on, switch on the ForwardFocus feature via your Nucleus® Smart App6 to reduce the noise coming from behind you. Otherwise sit at a table with your back to a wall,” says Greg.
If you need to attend a meeting with a group of people, the Cochlear™ Wireless Mini Microphone 2+ is an accessory that you can place in the middle of a room or table to stream the audio directly to your sound processor. If you use an iPhone®7, you can also use the ‘live listen’ feature of your phone which also acts as a remote microphone to stream to your processor.
Follow up work calls with a text or email message
“I follow up with an email or a text just for clarification to make sure that nothing else was missed or misunderstood in the conversation,” says Lynn, an assisted care administrator.
Make the most of chats
Other tools, such as instant messenger apps, also allow you to supplement your verbal communications with follow-up written communication.
What’s most important is ensuring you have the support you need to feel at ease. Identify what strategies can help you for your type of work, and who you can reach out to for support.
For more tips on hearing with your new device, visit our Rehabilitation Resources website.
- For sound processor and app compatibility information visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility
- Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Watch, FaceTime, Made for iPad logo, Made for iPhone logo, Made for iPod logo, iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
- Android is a trademark of Google LLC. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC
- The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Cochlear is under license to your laptop or tablet.
- ForwardFocus can only be enabled by a hearing implant specialist. It should only be activated for users 12 years and older who are able to reliably provide feedback on sound quality and understand how to use the feature when moving to different or changing environments. It may be possible to have decreased speech understanding when using ForwardFocus in a quiet environment.
- The Cochlear Nucleus Smart App is available on App Store and Google Play. For compatibility information visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility
- Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Watch, FaceTime, Made for iPad logo, Made for iPhone logo, Made for iPod logo, iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
